Monday, June 13, 2016

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, June 18, 2016 to Sunday, June 19, 2016:

Audubon Center in Prospect ParkSaturday, June 18, 2016, 12pm – 1pmIntroduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Take a tour and learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by Brooklyn Bird Club.

Freshkills Park (Staten Island)Saturday, June 18, 2016, 12:00pm“A Fresh Look” Photography Tour
This photography tour is a special opportunity to photograph what was once the world’s largest landfill as it is transforming into a 2,200-acre park and cultural destination. Images taken on this tour and between May 15 and June 26 can be submitted to “A Fresh Look,” a photography contest with the Staten Island Advance. Winning photographs will be featured online and in a gallery exhibit at the Staten Island Arts Culture Lounge in the St. George Ferry Terminal in late 2016.

Photographers can also visit Freshkills Park during Discovery Day on Sunday June 26th to take images for the “Fresh Look” photography contest.

Read the contest rules, and submit images taken between May 15 and June 26 to photo@freshkillspark.org for consideration before the July 5 deadline. Entries will be judged by a panel in four separate categories (creativity, composition, content and artistic merit) to establish winners in each of the three divisions: professional, amateur, and student.Sign Up at EventBrite

Gateway National Recreation AreaEvery Sunday Weekly and Every Saturday Weekly from 06/04/2016 to 09/03/2016 11:00AM to 12:00PMBirding for Beginners
Join us for an introduction to this fun hobby. Learn the basics of birding. Bring binoculars and a field guide or borrow them from wildlife refuge!
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fee Information: Free

Every Sunday Weekly and Every Saturday Weekly from 05/28/2016 to 08/28/2016 9:30AM to 11:30AMCamp Gateway Walk-up and Paddle
Try kayaking! Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation required. Bring a snack, water and sunscreen.
Bus: Q35
Location: Floyd Bennett Field – Brooklyn, Seaplane Ramp
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Name: Ryan Visitor Center
Contact Phone Number: 718-338-3799

Every Saturday Weekly from 05/28/2016 to 08/27/2016 1:00PM to 3:30PMCanarsie Walk-up and Paddle
Kayak tryouts for those who have never done it before. Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservations required.
Location: Canarsie Pier, Brooklyn
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Name: Ryan Visitor Center
Contact Phone Number: (718)338-3799

Every Sunday Weekly from 06/05/2016 to 09/04/2016 11:00AM to 12:00PMFort Tilden Bunkers Walking Tour
Join a Park Ranger for an exploration of Fort Tilden's gun batteries, and find out about the fort's role in the defense of New York Harbor.
1 mile.
Location: Fort Tilden-Building 1
Fee Information: Free

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon SocietySaturday, June 18, 2016 - 2:00PMSummer Solstice Hike for Families
Take a hike! Join us as we celebrate the summer solstice with this kid-friendly hike on the Greenbelt Trail at the Cold Spring Harbor Library. We will walk in the woods overlooking beautiful Cold Spring Harbor, while stopping to check out birds and other wildlife along the way.
This very hilly hike is suitable for kids aged 8 and up, accompanied by a guardian.
Pre-registration is a must. To register, please call 631-903-5556.

New York City Audubon SocietySaturday, June 18, 2016, 9am–Sunday, June 19, 6pmBashakill, Neversink, and Sterling Forest, NY
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
Look for breeding American bitterns, cerulean, hooded, and golden-winged warblers, and more at these three great birding areas. An overnight stay will facilitate being in the right spot at the right time. Bring lunch for the first day, binoculars, and a spotting scope (if you have one). Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 10. $290 ($55 single supplement)Click here to register

Saturday, June 18, 2016, 8:30-11amThe Summering Birds of Inwood Hill Park
Guide: Annie Barry
Meet at the entrance to Inwood Hill Park at the corner of Isham Street and Seaman Avenue. Join Annie Barry for a hike through a mature forest in search of Baltimore and orchard orioles, eastern towhees, wood thrushes, warbling vireos and other summer residents. We will then move to the shores of the Inwood Hill Park saltmarshes to search for herons and ducks. Some hilly walking required. Limited to 15. $36 (25)Click here to register

Saturdays, May 7-July 30, 8-9:30amVan Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Sunday, June 19, 2016, 8am-5pmBreeding Birds of the Hudson Highlands - Father's Day Edition
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Celebrate Father's Day with an exciting outing to visit the proud new avian parents of the Hudson Valley! Join Gabriel Willow on a day-long trip to some of the most exciting & beautiful birding locations in southern New York - Doodletown Rd., Constitution Marsh, and Indian Brook Farm (in Fahnestock State Park). We'll look for uncommon breeding warbler specialties at Doodletown, such as cerulean, hooded, blue-winged, golden-winged, and worm-eating warblers; We will then head to the Constitution Marsh Audubon Sanctuary to explore a brackish marsh along the Hudson River. They have a beautiful boardwalk and are home to breeding wood duck, bald eagle, least bittern, marsh wren, and more. After a picnic lunch by the banks of Indian Brook, we will drive to Indian Brook Farm, which has extensive grasslands and highbush blueberry stands. These habitats have breeding Field and savannah sparrows, bobolinks, and indigo buntings. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $129 (90)Click here to register

Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Take a tour and learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Doodletown is part of the Palisades Interstate Park. It is the site of a former hamlet just south of Bear Mountain and north of Dunderberg Mountain. The site was settled by at least 1762 and, at its peak (about 1945), was home to about 300.

Today this site is a fantastic birding hotspot with a great variety of warblers (including Cerulean and Hooded). Many other species are found here as well. To get an idea of what our trip might be like, check out Eamon Freiburger's report about our last trip there in June 2013.

The beginning of the outing will involve a steep walk along an old roadway. At the top of the hill is a reservoir. Everyone should carry water and a snack if they desire. Sneakers or light boots are suggested.

Watch your Inbox for directions and details on meeting time and location.